Ottawa Senators at Dallas Stars Betting Preview

Two teams squaring off for the first time this season, the Ottawa Senators and the Dallas Stars clash at the American Airlines Center for an East-West tilt. The first puck drops at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, March 5, and it’ll be showcased live on Fox Sports Southwest.

Ottawa Senators vs. Dallas Stars Odds

Dallas (-230) is currently favored over Ottawa (+190) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).

The Stars are 37-28 straight up (SU) and have lost 0.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked third in the Central Division so far this season, is a huge turnaround from what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (34-48). Of the teams 65 games this season, 34 have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under and just two have pushed. The teams 23-12 SU at home this year.

Dallas has converted on 19.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.1 percent of all penalties.

Dallas, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.3 times per game overall this season, and 5.0 per game over its last five home outings. The team has been forced to stave off opposition power plays for 13.2 minutes per contest over its last five home games.

With a .916 save percentage and 25.6 saves per game, Ben Bishop (26-24-4) has been the top goalkeeper for the Stars this year. If the Stars choose to rest him, however, head coach Ken Hitchcock could roll with Kari Lehtonen (12-10-10 record, .919 save percentage, 2.29 goals against average).

The Stars will continue to lean on the leadership out of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Seguin (60 points) has produced 34 goals and 26 assists and has recorded two or more points 14 times this year. Benn has 22 goals and 36 assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in 39 contests.

Ottawa is 22-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 19.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 34 of its outings have gone over the total, while 30 have gone under and none have pushed. As a road team, Ottawa is 8-24 SU.

Ottawa has converted on just 16.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 27th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 28th overall and it’s successfully killed off 75.5 percent of all penalties.

Ottawa’s skaters have been penalized 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last ten match ups. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 6.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Craig Anderson (27.4 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Ottawa. Anderson has 19 wins, 28 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit, while registering a .900 save percentage and 3.29 goals against average this year.

Mark Stone (20 goals, 40 assists) has been one of the top playmaking threats for the visiting Senators.

Ottawa Senators vs. Dallas Stars Betting Predictions

NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over

Betting Trends

The under has hit in three of Dallas last five outings.

Penalties and power plays could have a critical role tonight. The Senators are 9-20 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 15-27 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Stars are 14-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 21-15 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.

Ottawa is 2-6 in games decided by a shootout this season while Dallas is 4-2 in shootouts.

Dallas has managed 5.8 takeaways per game (ranked 26th in the league).

Ottawa has forced 7.8 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 7.0 takeaways per game (ranked 21st in the NHL).

Dallas may hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The teams 14-8 in games decided by one goal, while Ottawa is only 14-21 in such games.